Reno's wife, Pamela, said he would give anyone the shirt off his back.

“He would do anything for anyone,” she said. “He was helping me raise my two daughters.”

Pamela said Bryan just wanted to make it in the world and had a job interview next week, she said.

“He wanted to better himself and better me and my kids,” she said. “He did anything he could to help me. He helped my kids with their homework.”

The couple had been married for less than a year.

'It's a tragedy'

Pamela placed the 911 call Friday night around 10:45 p.m.

Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene at 421 Lemmons Road shortly after receiving the call.

“The stepfather had actually purchased a firearm yesterday from a friend,” said Norman. “He had taken the clip out of the firearm and was looking at the gun and showing the firearm to the stepdaughter. He handed the firearm to the daughter. We don’t know if the stepfather knew there was one (bullet) actually in the chamber.”

Norman said the clip of the gun was removed, but the type of gun used, a .380 caliber pistol, can still discharge if a bullet is in the chamber.

He said in a tragedy like this, there are many victims.

“You’ve got multiple victims, the deceased and his family. You’ve got an 11-year-old that is also a victim. You’ve got victims also in the law enforcement and medic community,” he said. “It’s a tragedy from the victim last night all the way through to the 11-year-old to the community to even the law enforcement community and the medic community also.”

'He was the love of my life'

He said the shooting was "absolutely an accident" and is another example of how children and guns don’t mix.

The 11-year-old is very upset, Norman said.

“There’s going to be some trying days for her,” he said. “But we did have two of our chaplains on scene last night for her and for the rest of the family members.”

He said what the family needs most is prayers.

“He was as good as he could be. He was a very hard worker, very intelligent,” said Pamela. “He was the love of my life.”

Page 2 of 2 - Updated 11:35 a.m.

County Communications told The Star that a call was received from 421 Lemmons Road, Boiling Springs. Molly Phipps and photographer Ben Earp are on their way.

Sheriff Alan Norman confirmed this morning that the sheriff's office is investigating an overnight incident near Boiling Springs in which an 11-year-old is said to have shot and killed her stepfather. Norman said the incident appears to be accidental.

Check back to shelbystar.com throughout the day for more information from reporter Molly Phipps.